Meeting for Worship

Meeting for Study: From the very beginning, Quakers rejected majority-rule voting as a way to make group decisions. The reasoning was simple: a vote creates winners and losers, and those who lose may feel unheard. Instead, Friends developed a process called seeking the sense of the meeting rooted in the belief that if a gathered community listens faithfully for divine guidance, the right path forward will become clear.

We will once again join our meetings through Zoom, meetinghouse to meetinghouse on 9th month 25th 2022. These meetings are planned to be held quarterly in the year. It was a wonderful experience last time. We look forward to this hour of waiting worship and what it might bring us.

On 5th month 22nd, we will gather for Meeting for Worship at an earlier time, 930 am, and join our meeting with our Friends at West Grove Friends Meeting (NCYM-C) using Zoom. This will be the first time we have introduced Zoom into our meetinghouse and attempted a hybrid Meeting for Worship.

This will be a little different than the usual hybrid meeting as we will be connecting meetinghouse to meetinghouse.

This has arisen from a leading of one of the co-clerks of West Grove and is in part a result of our connections over the years with Friends in North Carolina. Most recently the clerk of Fairhope Friends has joined West Grove in their Fourth Day Bible Study on Zoom for the last couple of years and has developed a close sympathy with them.

Behold we are doing something new. All are welcome!

The Fairhope Friends Meeting and Friends Committee for National Legislation supported Fairhope Advocacy Team will meet 11th month 5th at 230 PM in Room 2 of the Fairhope Public Library. All are welcomed that wish to advocate for a more equitable and just world.

Willie B Smith III is scheduled for execution by the State of Alabama 10th month 21st. We will gather at the meetinghouse at 530 pm and hold in the Light Willie, his family and the family of the victim. All who would like to do the same are welcome to join us

We are looking forward to taking part in this presentation by both meetings and exploring our common history. The presentation will be via Zoom Webinar and is free. You will have to register through the Friends Historical Association website at www.quakerhistory.org

We will hold a vigil at the Meetinghouse on Fifth Day(Thursday) the 11th for Willie B Smith lll, due to be executed at Holman Prison on that day.

9th month 21st is the International Day of Peace. We will hold a vigil at 5:30 pm to 6 pm. As with the tardiness of this notice this may be impacted by the effects of Hurricane Sally. We ask that all do as they might to mark the call to Peace.

8th month 6th is the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Join us at the meetinghouse at 5:30 pm for a vigil holding in the Light those effected by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and pray they are never repeated. Don’t forget your mask. We will gather outside for about an hour.

With sadness Friends we must report that due to the ongoing pandemic the Discernment Workshop with Jerry Knutson has been cancelled. We hope it can be rescheduled in the future.

Join us on the 21st day of this 3rd month at 5 pm for our Soup and Sandwich get together. There is no better way to end the workday we have planned than enjoying good food and fellowship. All are welcome!

The House and Grounds Committee invites Friends to join in an afternoon of landscaping and house maintenance on the 21st day 3rd month. It is usually more fun than it sounds!

The 3rd month 15th we will have our monthly pot luck breakfast.This will take the place of First hour starting at 9am followed by Worship at 10 am. Bring a breakfast dish or just your appetite. All are welcome!